The Desert Research Institute’s “Sandoval Silver State Seeder” is a new drone responsible for deploying silver iodide flares to kick off rainfall.
Technically, it’s a cloud seeding drone, however in its first test in Nevada, the aerial device only made it 400 feet up in the air.
Still, DRI is referring to the flight test as a “major milestone.”
The FAA is allowing DRI to conduct its cloud seeding drone tests up to 1,200 feet, where they will collect data and study its effectiveness.
It is worth noting that the cloud seeding drone will not be used to “make rain” in the literal sense, rather getting rain to fall during a specific time period and at a specific location.
The following video does a good job explaining how it works:
